Tokyo Ghoul: AR
by Haise Kaneki
Summary: In this Alternate Reality of Tokyo Ghoul, the tragedy grows to unimaginable heights. Hideyoshi Nagachiki didn't expect that his shy best friend would go on a date with a dangerous Binge Eating Ghoul, but when he tried to stop it, he found himself dragged and drowned in Kaneki's twisted fate. How much will the story shift now that Hide is also a One Eyed Ghoul![Chapter 1 remastered]
1. Tragedy

**This is Tokyo Ghoul AR, which stands for Tokyo Ghoul Another Reality. Although it might seem like it simply follows the original manga for the first few paragraphs, you will see the clear difference by the end of the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimers:** _I don't own Tokyo Ghoul, but I do own my OC's that will be making an appearance._

 _[This got updated recently. Nothing changed, just something added.]_

 **Tokyo Ghoul: AR**

 **Chapter 1: Tragedy**

 _In Tokyo Lurks A Certain Kind Of Despair..._

 _Humans Are Considered On The Top Of The Food Chain, But There Are Beings Who Hunt Them As A Food Source.._

In a long abandoned urban area, the hollowing sounds of desperate screaming could be heard, exploding off the walls and into the lonely night sky.

"Sto- Stop..." A hopeless voice gasped in pain. His legs had given way due to exhaustion and the gaping holes in the left side of his stomach. Blood flowed from the injury like a waterfountain, easily creating a crimson puddle underneath him as he slid down the cold, concrete wall onto his rear.

Despite his injuries, the panicked man looked left and right in the dark streets, his eyes jittery and skittish. Perspiration dripped down the side of his face, onto his nose and then into the puddle of blood. After a few seconds of looking around, the man's head dropped and he let out a raspy sigh of relief. Maybe _it_ was gone... Maybe he got aw-

" **Hello there...** "

Chocolate eyes snapped open and he found himself staring into an infinity of death. The Human male flinched backwards, only to feel the hard wall at his back, preventing his escape. A large pit was opened in his stomach and his insides were scrambled.

"Please... Leave me alone... I didn't... I didn't do anything wrong..." The man managed to stutter out, as his vision started to fade. "Please..." He choked out, tears streaming down his face now, his eyes widening in terror. The beast leaned forward slightly, a large grin stretching across it's face.

That was the last thing the unfortunate young man saw, before he felt a searing tearing feeling in his neck and his world went dark.

A loud gulping sound could be heard through the empty streets.

 _They call them... Ghouls._

* * *

"There are fears of an "Eater" attacking the city of Tokyo... But what are they actually like? Today, we will ask Dr. Ogura a researcher who studies "Eater" types."

Two young men sat nervously on their seats, both grey and amethyst eyes watching the screen. On the screen, the calm news reporter handed his microphone to an old looking man with black hair and a strangely cut mustache. His hair line was in a weird shape, almost like an M.

"Heh.." One of the boys proclaimed loudly, breaking the silence between the two. "That's a sketchy-looking old guy..." The boy chuckled dryly, turning to his black haired best-friend. This boy, known as Hide Nagachika, had strawberry blonde hair that wasn't well tamed and had spikes going in many directions. Despite the fact that it was untamed, it was relatively short.

"It's almost scary... The Takada building's pretty close to here..." Hideyoshi exclaimed, a small look of discomfort placing itself on his face. But only momentarily, as the boy quickly shifted his glance to the boy opposite him, his headphones bouncing and a smile placing itself on his face.

"You'd be eaten up in a second, Kaneki, A scrawny kid like you who's always reading incomprehensible books."

"Wh... What do you mean incomprehensible...?" Kaneki Ken asked, a look of thoughtfulness in his face. A small bead of sweat could be seen passing off of his cheek, which didn't go unnoticed by Hide. "Hide, if you would just pick up a book you might understand..." Kaneki sighed, his hand wandering until he got his fingers around the handle of his coffee cup.

"It's no use, I'd fall right asleep after five seconds," Hide said, in a 'matter-of-fact' kind of way. He put his head on the table surface, the cold surface cause his hairs to stand on end. Kaneki took a big sip of his coffee, the warm bitter liquid flushing down his throat and into his system. He didn't seem like he would push on the subject, his face showing that he'd been in many conversations that were similar.

"Anyways, I was just thinking.." Kaneki mused, his eyes landing on Hide. He put his coffee cup down on the table, the subtle vibrations causing Hide to lift his head and make eye contact with Kaneki. "I've never once seen a "Ghoul". Do they really exist?" Kaneki asked, both to his friend and to himself.

"Monsters that eat people..."

Hide sighed and leaned back so he was upright in his seat. "They must..." The bright haired teen said to no one in particular. "I've heard that they disguise themselves as humans and lie in wait... Then suddenly they're there... Something like that." Hide said, placing his chin in his hand, his mind contemplating.

Kaneki felt a cold chill in his spine but he brushed it off. He looked around at all of the people in the shop, his mind scanning each one. First he saw an old man, who he had noticed was the manager of the shop. He had served Kaneki the first few times he had been there. He was far to nice to be a Ghoul... Right?

And then he saw one of the waitresses. She had blue hair that feel to her chin and a large bang that covered her right eye. Kaneki remembered that the first time she served him, he felt a small attraction to her silent beauty and her silent demeanor. The warmth behind her smile had felt so... Human... She couldn't be one of those monsters either, right?

 _Disguised as Humans, huh..._

"Kaneki, maybe you're a Ghoul!" Hide's voice was the first to snap Kaneki out of his trance. He turned to his friend and he spoke the first thing on his mind.

"Idiot." Kaneki sighed, rolling his eyes to the side. "If I were a Ghoul, I thing you would be very dead, Hide." Kaneki chuckled, a smile sketching across his face. Hide leaned back in his chair and laughed out loud, drawing some attention from the surrounding customers. After his loud outburst of laughter, Hide placed both of his hands behind his head, leaning back and looking at Kaneki as Kaneki began to draw.

"You say "Disguised As', but couldn't they just be 'Monsters in the shape of Man'?" Kaneki asked, the question lingering in both of the teenagers heads. After a few seconds of Kaneki drawing, Hideyoshi decided that it was best fit if he joined in too. After a minute or two of drawing, Kaneki put his pencil down and lifted the picture up, a very concentrated look on his face.

The picture looked like a beast. It's chin was elongated and had a rectangular shape. The top of it's head went downwards in a beak shape and it had, what looked like, two nostil holes under it's circular eyes. The only thing that looked humanoid about it was it's neck and what looked like it could be a humanoid body.

"Something like this..." Kaneki suggested, pointing to this picture confidently. He had put a lot of thought into it and i-

"I did one too, Kaneki!" Hide smiled, showing Kaneki the picture. Kaneki took a look at Hide's picture and he mentally tripped. It... It was a picture of Kaneki, with exaggerated facial features, waving back at him. Kaneki's smile slowly turned into a frown and a small tick mark appeared on his forehead.

"Hhmmm!"

"You know, Kaneki." Hide started, leaning back with one hand supporting his head. "Let's talk about something besides Ghouls..." He used his spare hand to create rings around his empty coffee cup. Kaneki looked at Hide with a slightly confused expression on his face, but then he understand. Talking about 'things' that eat humans isn't exactly a nice topic, after all.

"For example, which one's the cute coffee shop girl you were telling me about?" Hide spoke purposely loud, tilting his head to look at the front counter. Kaneki's mouth went agape slightly and he had a look of doom on his face.

"Ack!? You're shouting!" Kaneki groaned, giving the side of his friends face the death stare. However, Hide didn't seem to care, as he scanned the counter and his eyes landed on the girl with blue hair from earlier. "Hey, don't look around like that..." Kaneki muttered, leaning across the counter to poke his friend.

"Is it her?" Hide asked, obviously talking about the blue haired girl that Kaneki had spotted before. Kaneki gulped and sat back in his chair, relieved that he didn't find the right person.

"Oh no, she's a waitress. I was talking about a customer." Kaneki told Hide plainly, the expression on his face going back to calm. However, it didn't seem like Hide had heard him, as the strawberry haired blonde jumped up and began to wave over to the blue haired girl.

"Can I order?!" Hideyoshi yelled loudly, causing the girl to turn around swiftly, her gaze meeting with Hideyoshi's frantic randomness. "I'll have a cappuccino, how about you?" Hide asked, turning his head to look at Kaneki. Kaneki was fiddling with his fingers and his gaze was on his table.

"I... I'm fine. I still haven't finished."

As the cute waitress began to write down the order on her mini-notepad, Hide stood up and got closer to her, his amethyst beady eyes glaring into her eyes. "What might your name be?" Hide asked the waitress, giving her an interested look. She cleared her throat and looked him in the eye, lifting her pen off of the notepad.

"Kirishima Touka..."

"Touka-Chan... Do you have a boyfriend?!" Hide exclaimed, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. His cheeks became flushed and a large smile appeared on his face. Kaneki would have face palmed if he wasn't stuck fiddling with his fingers nervously. He watched as the girl stuttered, unsure of what to say, and then she turned and walked off, clear irritation etched on her face.

"I don't!" Hide shouted after her, reaching out his hand and pretending to pull her back. "Hey!"

"Hide. Stop that you idiot!" Kaneki grumbled loudly, bringing his hand behind Hide's head and flicking it roughly, causing Hide to mumble and massage where Kaneki flicked. "Don't do weird things! This shop is the only connection I have to that girl!" Kaneki yelled in a hushed manor.

"What'll I do if we get banned?!"

"All right, I'm sorry!" Hide began to laugh,the large smile returning to his face. He winked his right eye and folded his arms. "She was just so cute, I couldn't help it!" Hide chuckled, but when he looked over at Kaneki, he was cuddling into himself, almost as if he was hiding himself.

"What is it, Kaneki?"

"Look... That girl... It's her."

Kaneki shakily pointed at the door, just as Anteiku's bell gingled, marking someones arrival. The first person that Hide saw wasn't what he expected. What he saw was a young male with short purple hair and violet eyes. His hair was short and well combed out, going down to at least his neck. He had a rather skinny body and wore golden rimmed glasses over his eyes.

Hide's eyebrows raised and he looked at Kaneki, before looking back at the purple haired boy. He chuckled nervously and leaned back in his chair, placing both hands at the back of his head.

"Oooo'! Kaneki, I didn't know you swung that way~!" Hide laughted out loud, causing Kaneki to look back with a simple tilt of his head. A large blush spread across his cheeks and he shook his head frantically.

"No! No... Not him baka. Look next to him!"

Hide looked again at the door, but this time more diverse, and he spotted who his best friend was referring to. Finally, he saw the girl with a slender body and lucious long purple hair. Her eyes were a match and her body was almost a perfect hourglass figure. Hide found his eyes slowly wandering to other places when a gentle slap to the back of the head from Kaneki made him come to his senses.

"Don't even think about it!"

"I'm not! I'm not! I was just analyzing her for you!" Hide grumbled quickly and with flustered cheeks. "And from that analysis, I've got to tell you something!" Hide said, stretching his arms across the table and grasping Kaneki's shoulders. "Sorry to say this but... Give it up!"

"Wha...!?"

"No matter what you do, a hottie like that is impossible." Hide chuckled dryly, dropping his hands and placing one under his chin and behind his left ear. "I bet she'll transform if you take off her glasses.." Hide said, almost seriously, making Kaneki's head drop dramatically.

"Ugh... I know... That we wouldn't go well together." The black haired human sighed, a frown forming on his face, giving him a downcast look in his features. "I'm hapy enough just seeing her..." Kaneki looked up and caught sight of her across the room. "Besides. When she meets my eyes, she smiles a little..."

Kaneki had an almost mesmerized look on his face as he stared into nothingness. Hide watched him with a gaping mouth and eyes that screamed 'come on'. It was almost amplified when Kaneki opened his mouth to speak again. "If maybe she shares my feelings..."

"You're kinda being _that_ guy... It's creepy." Hide said in a monotone voice but with a slightly curved smirk. Kaneki grumbled again, his head dropping once again. "Dude, she's giving you a forced smile because you're _staring_ at her suspiciously." Hide told Kaneki, almost crushing his dreams like a boulder.

Hide got up from his seat and placed his closed fist on the table, before smiling down at his best friend. "Well, I got to see the girl you were talking about. But I gotta go to work now." Hide explained with a smile, taking his hand off the table and putting five fingers up at Kaneki. "Good luck, delusion-boy!" Hide waved, turning to the door and opening it. Before he closed it, he looked over at Touka and waved dramatically.

"See ya, Kirishima-San!"

And then he was gone.

Kaneki sighed in relief and sat back in his chair in peace. Although he loved the company of his friend, his hyper attitude and loud nature always put him on the spot. Kaneki shoot his head of the thoughts and looked down at his book.

'I'll keep reading then...'

The black haired teen lifted the book and started to read, only to realize that he was stuck on a single sentence. He couldn't carry on, as his mind was preoccupied thinking about a certain purple haired girl standing on the other end of the cafe, a book held closely in her grip.

 _Takatsuki Sen._

Kaneki looked back down at the book in his hand and a chuckle rose from his chest. By chance, she happened to be reading the same title as Kaneki.

'The Black Goat's Egg'

'The story in which the son is disgusted by his mothers depravity, and soon realizes that the same cruel impulses are budding in himself. It is a delicate portrayal of the character's mental state.' Kaneki noted in his head, almost zoned out completely. If he had been focusing, he would have noticed the purple haired girl coming towards him, and the purple haired boy escaping from the cafe with a grin on his face.

With Hide

Hide walked through the mostly empty streets of Tokyo thoughtlessly. He had his orange headphones on his ears and was blasting music. His love of music had sprouted from earlier adventures as a kid, when he would climb into his fathers working room and burrow through his draws. His father was also a huge fan of music.

Hide liked all sorts of music and he couldn't pinpoint a favorite genre, even if it costed his life. Right now, he was listening to a strange mixture between rock and modern day music. It was a new genre that he wanted to try, and he was beginning to like it, even if it did take him a few days to get used to.

He was broken out of his thoughts by something, or someone, colliding with his arm and a purple blur collapsing to the floor in front of him. Hide looked down at whatever had hit the floor in front of him and his eyes widened. It was the purple haired boy from the cafe, the one with the girl that Kaneki liked.

"Gahh!"

And that was what it took Hide to notice that the boy was in obvious pain. Hide bent down quickly, picking up the slimmer boy effortlessly and propping him up on his shoulder. Hide tilted his head and looked in the boy's eyes, and the boy looked embarrassed, a faint crimson blush appearing on his face.

"S... Sorry about that. I didn't mean to run into you..." The boy stuttered quickly, leaning off of Hide and onto the nearest wall. Hide looked down at the boy with a small reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it man. You look like you were in a rush." Hide said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The other boy gritted his teeth and gripped the area in which he fell on, causing Hide's smile to fade and a frown to replace it. "Are you okay?" Hide asked the purple haired boy, who looked up weakly.

"I... I don't think so.." The boy stuttered, gritting his teeth due to the pain. Hide bit the corner of his lip, before biting the inner layers of his cheek. He wanted to help the boy and he knew the best way how.

"I think I can help you... I'll only be a minute." Hide declared, before turning and flicking on his phone. He dialed a number and put it to his ear, before roughly telling the person on the other end where he was and what had happened. When Hide put down the phone, he turned back to the purple haired boy and grinned a toothful smile.

"The first aid people will be coming now!" Hide said, before he turned his head to look at the streets, which were slowly beginning to cluster up. "I need to get going, I don't think I can wait with you. Will you be okay on your own?" Hide asked the boy, who was now sitting on the floor with a pained look on his face.

"I... I think I can hold on. It's not like I got stabber or anything, right?" The boy chuckled dryly, smiling back up at Hide, who put his thumbs up and flashed a smile. "By the way, my name is Fall Kamishiro." Fall announced, leaning his head back on the dry bricks so that he could look up at Hide.

"I am Hideyoshi Nagachika. It was a pleasure." Hide said, before turning around and waving. As he walked away, slowly vanishing in the crowd of people, a small laughter could be heard behind him. Fall got up slowly, dusted himself off, and then looked up with a look of desire in his purple iris.

"Definitely was a pleasure..." Fall said, a confident smile snaking across his face. His slimy tongue traced itself across the bottom of his lips, tracing it with saliva and small traces of blood.

"Hideyoshi-Kun..."

* * *

A week later

"Eh? So you're going out with that girl?" Hide asked, a looked of confusion on his face. He was almost sure of his theory. Hide brought the straw closer to his mouth and took a long suck, the liquid flowing into his mouth. "I guess people do get lucky sometimes." Hide proclaimed, just as he took the staw out of his mouth and looked at Kaneki on the other end of the table.

"Yeah. Her name is Kamishiro Rize." Kaneki smiled, obviously happy about his adventures with said girl. Hide's eyes widened slightly, his mind raking through his memory until something clicked and he itches the back of his head.

"You now Kaneki, I think somethings going on. I bumped into a boy named Kamirshiro F-"

"This time we're going to give eachother novel recommendations!" Kaneki declared happily, clenching his first in his hand and closing his eyes. Hide sighed and sat back in his chair, before tilting his head back so that he was staring at the ceiling. He knew that Kaneki was too far into his rambling to even listen to him.

"It's my first outing ever with a girl... But it's a dream brook-store date!" Kaneki grinned. In his head, he could already imagine him and Rize walking through a book shop, reviewing the books and reading every one of them. "Hide... My heart has been deeply touched."

"I don't really understand the appeal of a date in a bookstore but..." Hide gave his friend a huge thumbs up, even despite the sweat drop rolling down his cheek. "Whatever, go and have fun!" Hide laughed wholeheartedly, despite the gutting feeling inside of his stomach.

 _This didn't feel right..._

In the night, lurked a certain 'Binge Eater'.

Rize had her own idea of a "night life." Such fools humans were! Her body was splattered with another fellow she had just groomed. Her once white dress was now crimson with chunks of entails scattered across it. "Bookstore date?" Yeah, right. That strategy was excellent for attacking shy types - and desperate types. This guy...she couldn't even remember his name, but he was definitely that proper mix of reclusive, horny, and touched in the head that made himself a perfect victim for her honey trap.

She fumbled through the guy's wallet. Normally, she was only interested in food, but she had attracted too much attention in this Ward already. She'd probably have to skip town sooner rather than later.

"One more, and then I'm gone," she muttered under her breath. She had only the slightest idea that someone might be listening in. Her expression quickly changed from a sort of weariness to more pointed, creased annoyance.

"Oh. It's you again. Come to pick at my scraps, vulture?" She spat venomously. Rize's predatory eyes focused harshly to the shadows. Her Kagune itched at her inner back, urging her to release it and impale the figure in the deep shadows.

Whoever it was, he made himself blend in with the shadows. "Ouch. What a way to treat your own brother!" he replied from the shadows, revealing himself to Rize through his voice. It's not like she needed it anyways, she could have smelt his repugnant smell from miles off.

"You're not really my brother," Rize said. It was a simple statement. She didn't know the exact details - a divorce? a whore? - but this young man bore the Kamishiro name. She had no idea how he had put two and two together. Then again, she was not exactly the most subtle creature, so perhaps it was only a matter of time. However it happened, he, calling himself "Fall," claimed to be related to her, even though they hadn't met before Rize had flown the coop.

At first, it was cute. She thought she might at least enjoy having someone to talk to. That was fine, for a while. Soon, however, the CCG began tailing him, and his need for a family became annoying. He made her move faster. It was only a matter of time before she would have to 'devour' him.

"Say...I'll let you have this and more, no complaints, if you do one little thing for your big sister," she suggested. Fall should have known that the smile on her lips was far from pleasant, but she knew how to handle him: a little sisterly touch, and he was putty in her hands. She saw his eyes light up like a street near Christmas, even behind the shadows of night.

"Sure, sis! What'll it be?"

"The kid I'm grooming right now, Kaneki. You've probably followed me enough to see him." Rize said to Fall slowly, standing up slowly and hovering over her dead meal. "He's got a friend-"

"Hide," Fall filled in quickly, remembering the strawberry blonde haired kid that had interested him the other day. Oh, how Fall wanted to eat Hide! Rize clicked her tongue and a look of annoyance spelled across her face.

"Is that his name? Anyways, he's smart and alert - think of him as Kaneki's watchdog. I just need you to kill the puppy. If you pull this off, I promise we'll get an apartment together." She didn't care about what followed after. No matter what happened, she would win: if the CCG killed her brother, she could make a clean getaway after Kaneki; if he killed Hide, she was safe; if he failed, she'd be short an annoyance, and Hide would be too late to save his friend.

 **A Few Weeks Later**

"So Kaneki-San, what is your number one recommendation?" Kaneki's date asked, her head tilted slightly to the left and her hands folded neatly in front of her. She smiled only the slightest and Kaneki felt a throbbing in his heart, just as he brought a small amount of food up into his mouth.

"Hmm... Taktsuki Sen's debut work maybe?"

"Oh, Dear Kafka!" Rize exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. She made eye contact his Kaneki temporarily, her purple eyes swirling into his own dark hazed eyes. "That trick with the letter really got me. Speaking of Takatsuki, her short story collections are really interesting too."

Kaneki, however, had slowly drifted off, his eyes slowly falling from her face to a place right underneath her neck. He felt a light crimson blush flush over his cheeks and a hard pressure in his dark jeans as he stared at Rize's chest area.

"Is something wrong?" Rize interjected, causing Kaneki to snap out of his daze and shoot up, sweat pounding from his face. Rize chuckled and put a hand to her mouth, chuckling a small, cute laugh.

"Oh..! No... Um..." Kaneki straightened up in his chair, the blush on his cheeks ever increasing and causing him to smile awkwardly. "Is that sandwich all you're going to eat, Rize-San?" Kaneki asked, attempting to move the subject away from him and his wandering eyes. Rize blushed also and put a hand over her mouth.

"I've been eating too much lately... Umm.. I'm sort of, on a diet..." Rize admitted, giving Kaneki a warm smile. However, Kaneki had a confused look on his face and he raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom..."

"Oh. Yes, go ahead." Kaneki said, giving his date leg room to go to the restroom. As she turned her back and began to walk to the rest room, Kaneki sighed and turned away. 'She's not fat at all though...Girls...' Kaneki rolled his eyes and looked back at the sandwich that Rize was 'eating'. Only a small nibble of lettuce was eaten.

Kaneki's phone started to ring and he looked down at his glowing pocket, before flicking it on and answering. He had a look of confusion on his face.

"Hide?"

* * *

"Kaneki!" Hide shouted through the phone, as he ran through the empty streets of Tokyo. It was nighttime and no one was out. He had sweat rolling down his head and a terrified look on his face. "Kaneki get away from her!" Hide yelled, almost tripping on himself as he ran.

**What do you mean?**

"Kaneki! Trust me! She isn't what you think she is!" Hide yelled, quickly turning on his heel and onto the next road. This street was fairly dim, and the lights were beginning to fail. It was beginning to get hard to see ahead of him, but Hide kept running to where he knew Kaneki was.

**What do you mean? Is this just an attempt at luring me away from her?**

"No! Nothing like that!" Hide shouted, his face growing crimson and his breath becoming labored. "She... She's a Gho-" Hide ran straight into something, or someone, very hard. Hide gasped and dropped on his rear, his phone slipping out of his hands and to his side.

Hide looked up at the figure and almost choked on his breath. Fall Kamishiro stood over him, glaring down with piercing purple eyes and a grin on his face. Hide began to shake and his eyes widened considerably in fear, sweat pouring out of his face.

**Hide? Hide?!**

Hide's head snapped to his phone and he reached for it quickly, but Fall was quicker. In a flash, the phone was crushed into dust under his feet, Hide's facial expressions quickly darkening in fear. His gaze followed up Fall's leg and up his stomach and then onto his face. Hide looked into Fall's darkened eyes and scarlet pupil and he could only mutter one word.

"Ghoul..."

" **Precisely correct.** "

 **Kaneki**

"Hide? Hide?!" Kaneki shouted into the phone, a look of desperation on his face. The phone then cut off and Kaneki inhaled sharply. 'Hide... He sounded so afraid... Why?' Kaneki asked himself, placing the phone back into his pocket with a shaky hand.

"Is everything okay?" Rize's face came echoing towards the black haired human, and he turned immediately, looking into her beatiful face. However, he didn't smile back at her. He simple couldn't. Not after what he heard from Hide.

"I... It's fine. Are you ready to leave?" Kaneki asked Rize, standing up from his seat and clearing his throat. Rize nodded sweetly, putting both of her hands together and turning to the door. As Kaneki approached her, she reached out shyly, clutching his hand in her own.

"Let's go..."

 **Hide**

"Ahhh!" A loud voice howled into the night. A figure with stained strawberry blonde hair and blood dripping from his shoulder staggered into an abandoned apartment block. His left leg look twisted to an impossible angle, and his left arm was nursing the bloody injury on his right shoulder.

"Gah.. Gah... Gah..." Hide panted, quickly staggering through the empty apartments. If only he chosen another route and hadn't come face to face with this... This monster.

" **Come out come out, wherever you are!~** " The dark, gurgling voice of Fall came booming through the building, causing Hide to speed up his staggering movements. Blood dripped mercilessly down his arm and onto the concrete flooring below. He saw an elevator and a look of relief spread itself across his face.

"Finally..." Hide gasped, quickly scrambling to enter the elevator. However, as he ran towards it, a whistling sound could be heard through the apartments. Hide gasped loudly, dropping to the ground and skidding the rest of the way into the elevator. It wasn't a gasp because of his ears, it was _pain..._

 _Pain!_

Hide yelled and his left hand desperately scrambled down his chest and towards the left side of his stomach. Or where it should have been. Hide went silent for a second, his fingers tracing along the missing portion of his body and getting soaked in blood, before he looked up and an ear-shattering scream exploded from his lungs.

"AAAAhhahaAAAAhhhhhhhrrrGAAAHHHH!"

Fall chuckled from outside of the elevator and a bloody smile was etched across his face. He reached in and pressed a single button on the elevator, before retracting his hand. It was set to the ceiling. The elevator door closed with Hide alone, and slowly began to rise up the building.

* * *

"Kaneki-San..." Rize gasped, into Kaneki's chest, her hands tracing along his soft abs through his clothes. Kaneki retracted in shock, a blush forming on his face. His eyes widened and he began to stutter incomprehensible words. "The truth is I noticed.. I noticed you were watching me." Rize said, leaning back and looking into Kaneki's eyes.

Kaneki felt a certain dread build in his heart. What if she thought he was creepy now? But then why would she go on two dates with him? Kaneki began to feel depressed, until he saw that she began to lean in.

"Kaneki-San..." Rize called out to him, leaning in even closer to his face. Kaneki's eyes widened and soon enough, all he could see were her luscious lips and he also leaned back in. "I too..." Rize's hands wrapped around his shoulders and she held them firmly, her fingertips digging into his skin.

" _ **Was Watching You**_ **!** "

And with that, Rize swayed her head to the side, her mouth opening and then clamping down on Kaneki's shoulder. Blood sprayed outwards and everywhere, as she moaned and ripped the large piece of his shoulder meat out of his body. " **Aaahhh... Delicious."** Rize put her finger on her mouth innocently, wiping Kaneki's fresh blood from her chin.

"Whaaa!" Kaneki shouted as he frantically took a step backwards, tripping on his own nerves and dropping onto his back. He automatically swung his hand over to his bleeding shoulder and a look of doom spelled across his face. Rize began to approach Kaneki and playfully tilted her head to examine him.

" **Oh my... Are you all right? Heheheh...** " Rize chuckled, swaying her hips side by side sharply. Kaneki started to tremble and he gulped. What did this turn into? " **You know Kaneki-San... There's a scene in 'The Black Goat's Egg' I really love."** Rize took another seductive step towards Kaneki, her foot just about running along his foot.

" **Where the 'black goat' catches a man who's running away in bewilderment... And rips out a~~ll his entrails...** " Rize chuckled darkly, her hands reaching up to remove the bow tie from her hair. " **No matter how many times I read that part..."** Rize threw the bow tye down alleyway and took off her glasses.

" _ **It always makes me shudder!"**_

Kaneki trembled at her feet, his body shaking as if it was hit by an earthquake. He couldn't move an inch of his body, and he could feel his perspiration causing his clothes to stick to his body. 'H... Hide was right... She wasn't what I thought..' Kaneki thought remorsefully. His mouth parted slightly as he tried to force himself to him, failing misterably.

" **Heheheh... That expression is exquisite..."** Rize laughed, stepping a few steps back. She arched her back forward and her hands traced the cold cement underneath them. **"Yes it's me... It never occurred to you, did it?** " Rize asked Kaneki tentively, her body almost twitching to devour.

" **That I am a Ghoul!"** As she screamed these words, four thin red tentacles shot out of her back, swinging around randomly. Realization hit Kaneki at at that moment. He knew that he wasn't going to survive the night... He wouldn't come out the same. " **Uhh... Kaneki-Saaaannn... You're making me shudder!"**

It was the moment that Rize began to smudge Kaneki's blood all over her face, that he managed to get back control over his body. Kaneki flipped onto his stomach and pushed off his legs and onto his feet, making a run for it to the exit of the alleyway. His mind was jumbled but he knew that there was a warehouse next door. Maybe if h-

A warm object wrapped around his ankle and next thing he knew, the side of his face met the cold concrete floor, and the searing pain that rattled him. "Ahh!" Kaneki grunted, gritting his teeth in pain. He heard a few foot steps and he turned on his back, looking up at his date.

" **Got you~!"**

-.

"Uh... Uh... Uhhh...!" Hide gasped loudly in pain, climbing out of the elevator now that the door was open. As soon as he got out of the elevator, the cold air hit his face, his eyes squinting and his body giving way. As soon as his body crumpled to the floor, a puddle of blood formed around him.

" **I'm back!** " And the sound of air shifting caused Hide to look upwards. He almost had a look of disgust when he fall Fall walking towards him, Hide's blood dripping from his hands. Hideyoshi had a deep churning feeling in his stomach when he saw a flash of bright orange and then a sharp orange shard sped at him. Hide didn't even have time to dodge, as the shard cut his cheek and slammed into the wall behind him.

" **You like my Ukaku? Brilliant isn't it?** " The purple haired Ghoul asked rhetorically. As he approached Hide, Fall's Ukaku kagune was fully displayed. The dark featherless wings spread outwards from his back in a mixture of arcs and sharp edges. The color of the wings were completely black and looked like it was very flexible. As Hide watched the deformed wings, orange shards began to sprout from it, forming what looked like it could be wings.

Hide looked at the missing piece of his stomach and his mouth quivered. It was probably those shards that had done this. Hideyoshi looked back to Fall and a large smile spread across his face. Fall raised his eyebrow and grabbed Hide by the shirt, lifting him up onto his feet. However, he was a single inch off of the floor.

" **What is so funny?** " Fall asked Hide, a dark expression forming on his face. A frown grew on his face and shadows blocked over his eyes. Hide began to chuckle weakly and hopelessly grabbed Fall's strong arms.

"C... Can't I even have last word?" Hide asked Fall, his laughing beginning to fill with gurgling sounds. Blood dribbled down the corner of his mouth and down to his chin. Fall slightly loosened the grip and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. Hide's smile quickly vanished, replaced with a deep frown.

"TELL YOUR SISTER I SAID HELLO IN HELL!"

Hide's grip tightened considerably and he shifted his body weight downwards, bring himself and Fall's body to the floor. As soon as Hide's back hit the floor, he quickly flipped upwards, pushing Fall onto the soles of his feet. Hide grunted weakly and he rolled himself backwards, kicking his legs out and sending Fall flying into the elevator.

" **Gahh!"** The monster shouted angrily, attempting to speed outwards and grab Hide by the throat. However, whenever he tried, he realized that it was almost impossible. Fall looked behind his back and noticed that his Ukaku had dug right into the elevator, trapping him to the wall of the elevator.

Hide stood up weakly, one hand on the wall next to the elevator and the other cradling his injury. "Hehehe... It worked..." Hide chuckled weakly, his life force slowly draining out of him. The Ghoul struggled some more and the elevator shaft shook violently.

" **You... You couldn't have known this would happen!** " The Ghoul struggled violently, making Hide take an unconsious step backwards, before quickly falling back to the wall. After some time of struggling, the Ghoul knew that he wasn't getting anywhere at all.

"Ah.. But I did..." Hide smiled. His smile then turned into a chuckle, which in turn turned into a loud cough that sprayed blood onto Fall as he stuggled. Hide then slowly moved towards the emergency button that would drop the elevator at tremendous speeds to the bottom. It was made for drastic situations, so Hide put his open palm over it.

"And I also know that you won't survive this..." And which that, Hide pressed down on the red button. The elevator shrieked and Fall growled angrily. His Ukaku disappeared into a flash of smoke and he leaped forward. Unfortunately for him, only Fall's arm got past the door, before the elevator shaft dropped down, severing his arm and spraying blood onto Hide's exhausted face.

"Hehe..." Hide coughed out, before collapsing backwards, his eyes rolling behind his head. No doubt, he was unconscious.

* * *

" **I love humans with body types like yours, Kaneki-San.** " Rize grinned excitedly, her pupils dilating and a large smile appearing on her face. " **They have the proper amount of fat, but not too much muscle,** " Rize began to approach him but was more then 5 feet away by now.

Kaneki had a hole in his liver and he had no energy to continue. All he could hope was that she would finish him quickly with those things she called 'claws'. The black haired human only had tears streaming down his face as he prepared to die. He was so close to unconsciousness, that he was having delusions.

" **Of the two I've eaten this week, I wonder which will be the best...** " Rize licked her lips and took one last step towards Kaneki. And as Kaneki saw her approach, he also noticed a dark shadow underneath her body. Surely her own shadow couldn't be that huge?

" **Oh?"**

And with that, a loud crashing noise exploded from the area, as three large pillars collapsed right on top of the female Ghoul's body, crushing her lower body completely and leaving her mouth wide open and blood dripping from it. It seemed like she wasn't completely dead yet, as she groaned and said a last word.

" **Why...?** "

And with that her arm dropped to her side. Kaneki's eyes slowly shifted to the back of his head and he went concussions, the pain putting him to sleep. The last thing he heard was an ambulance in the distance and frantic shouts approaching.

* * *

The first thing Kaneki and Hide heard was two doctors rushing around their shared emergency room. Both were in critical condition and were dropping in and out of consciousness.

"They both have organs missing and need transplants immediately!"

…...

…...

…..

Both boys felt themselves at the bottom of an ocean full of blood. Both boys pushed off their legs and began to swim up to the surface. However, as they ascended, they felt cold bodies wrapping around their own, a hand snaking around their neck and then their eyes.

"Implants shifted! He transplanted the two dead teenagers organs into the critically injured students...!"

 _Beaaaapp... Beap... Beap..._

"Heart rate has stabilized!"

"The operation was a success!"

Kaneki and Hide both inhaled sharply into their inhalers, both of their eyes snapping open violently. But this was different... Kaneki's left eye was a demonic black, with a scarlet pupil, and Hide's right eye was the same, and they both had cracks spreading across their faces.

 _A Tragedy..._


	2. Half Ghouls

**Tokyo Ghoul AR**

 **Chapter 2:**

"Hide... Have you ever read any of Kafka's novels?" A slightly raspy voice rang out through the room, piercing the silence. Kaneki Ken sat with his hands between his knees and a lifeless expression on his pale skin. After a few seconds of waiting, Kaneki looked up weakly, a frown etched onto his face.

"In Kafka's most famous novel, there plot is about a young man who turns into an enormous insect."

Hide was sitting opposite Kaneki in the room, his eyes closed and his hands on his knees. Like his best friend, his skin was almost as pale as paper, his mouth quivering slightly. His strawberry blonde hair lay flatly on his head, the color visibly more dull.

"I read that story in 8th Grade..." Kaneki said dryly, his hands slowly gripping his jeans, causing his pale knuckles to turn stark white. Hide's nervously looked over at the bowl of rice on his kitchen table, his emethyst eyes trembling. The nervous teen slowly approached the bowl, digging the silver spoon into the large clump of food.

"At the time, I thought, "What would I do if I turned into an insect..."." Kaneki chuckled dryly, before his small grin turned into a quivering frown. Hide lifted the spoon up to his mouth, the metal visibly quaking. "It was something of a dark musing of mine..." The black haired boy muttered under his breath, just as Hide shoved the spoon into his mouth.

 _Gulp..._

….

…...

"BllUuuRRgghhh!" Only a few seconds later, Hide had gotten up and ran into the closest bathroom, before the food made a reappearance, flowing out of Hide's throat and into the toilet. Several more repeappearances occurred before Hide sulked back into the Kitchen and dropped to the floor in exhaustion.

"K... Kaneki..." Hide gasped harshly, his vile inner liquids dripping from the corner of his mouth. Kaneki looked over at his bestfriend with eyes that were dead on the inside. "Rice... It tastes like pig guts." Hide said with a deadpan expression on his face. He wiped the vile off his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

" _What are we?"_

…...

…...

…...

The TV's volume blazed out quickly startling the two teens. However, neither had the energy to turn their heads to look.

** Due to the predatory Ghoul incident that happened near the Takada Building, people are unable to hide their unease at the thought that the city of Tokyo is being attacked.*

Hide slowly tilted his head and looked at the screen. His almost was almost in a perfect straight line and he felt a churning in his stomach. Where they that oblivious? As Hide watched the screen, it switched to a man with a large mustache and a confident look on his face.

**Today we have an expert from the Ghoul Research Division. His name is Dr. Ogura. He came to give us more information.**

**Ghouls, you know, do not need to consume a large number of meals in the short term. They can survive perfectly well for a month or two on one dead body... But there are many Ghouls who eat a number of People like this for pleasure. These are nasty creatures.**

** Now, it may be that the Ghoul is afraid of the investigation department and is hiding itself. Normally, Ghouls lead their lives among us in human-shape.**

"Oh..." Kaneki blurted out loud, his eyes downcast and his hair sweeping over his eyes. 'That would explain it... Rize-Chan was a gluten.' Kaneki realized mentally, his face not showing any outwards appearance. 'And from what Hide said, so was her brother.'

Hide's face went cherry red and his teeth began to grit against each other. 'I was almost eaten by a gluten Ghoul just for pleasure...' Hide clenched his fists together and his knuckles went white under the pressure. _Disgusting..._

**Can't Ghouls be satisfied with ordinary food?**

**You're in that seat and yet you know nothing... Ghouls are unable to digest any nutrients of non-human origin. This is said to be the result of a particular enzyme they have. Furthermore, because the structure of their tongues is different from our own. Food feels very uncomfortable for them...**

Kaneki and Hide's heads snapped up quickly and they made eye contact. They both had looks of distraught etched into their face. It couldn't be... Could they? Two identical rumbles erupted throughout the room, both boys stomach's violently growling.

**Salad tastes unripe, and meat and fish taste disgusting, it seems... In front of people they may be able to eat and endure it but...**

 _**After eating they are struck with a powerful urge to vomit.**_

Kaneki was the first to move and he leapt up onto his feet, almost slipping over over his own bare legs. He ran quickly into the kitchen, his face in clear despair. As soon as he got to the fridge, he swung it open and reached in, pulling out a carton of milk and slamming it down on the table. As he reached with his free hand the uncap it, he found that it was shaking madly. Before he could grab the lid, he felt a quivering hand on his shoulder.

"Kaneki..." Hide's tired voice called out to his friend, causing him to shudder. He had almost forgot that Hide was there. It was if this all way a dream. "The surgery... It did something to our body..." Hide declared weakly, and if Kaneki had looked over, he would have seen a deep frown on his face.

"Did the suRgery... Turn us into...?" Kaneki mumbled raspy, his voice like a thin line. It was completely shattered and dead. Both of their lives had been flipped and twisted into madness in one night. Hide gulped loudly, before he gritted his teeth together hard. A burning sensation made it's way into his heart and he slammed his eyes shut in denial.

"Ghouls!"

-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-

"You're showing a lot of leg." An old scruffy voice exploded through a seemingly empty alleyway. The night sky hung low in the sky, the stars lightning up the streets of Tokyo. The full moon watched passively from the skies, it's shining surface clearly seen from the surface of the Earth.

"Hey!" A young girl's furious voice shouted from the same alley. The girl was tugging weakly on her own wrist, her fingers prying at the perverted old man's hands. He was holding her tightly to his body, and she could smell the disgusting odour pouring out of him.

He looked to from around the area and his mouth was twisted upwards into a perverse grin. From what it looked like, he had the complete uperhand in the strength stuggle. In his mind, he was right about to get _just_ what he wanted from this poor little girl.

"Why won't you come wit-"

"Touka-Chan!"

Touka tilted her head to the side to look at whoever was calling her name so desperately. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her petite young face. Two figures came running down the alleyway, heading towards Touka and the perverted man. The one on the left had bright strawberry blonde hair and the other had flat charcoal black hair.

"Huh?" Touka exclaimed, a look of shock plastered on her face. It was also a look of slight disbelief. She couldn't get a good look at their faces but she was almost sure that she hadn't seen them before. Maybe they were customers at the cafe? Suddenly, she felt the grip on her hand loosen and she gasped, looking down.

On the floor infront of her, the same strawberry haired teen was on top of the old man. Hide growled ferociously down at the man, his teeth beering angrily. Half of his face was covered in shadows while the other was clearly revealed, showing his bright eyes and furious expressions. His right hand was clasped rightly around the perverted man's wrists.

"How dare you!?" Hide growled, his expressions intensifying dramatically. He leaned in closer to the man's face, the other side of his face being revealed. His crimson eye was revealed instantly, along with the cloud of darkness around it. Cracks racked down from his single Kakugan, etching down his face and all the way to his neck. He was hungry.

 _Starving..._

Kaneki had his both of his hands anchored to his knees, sweat rolling down his face like bullets. As soon as they heard a cry of distress, Hide had forced him to run along with him. Hide had always been faster then Kaneki, but it seemed very different now. He ran at insane speeds, inhumam even.

When Kaneki's eyes had landed on Touka's body, his mouth tightened and went into a straight line. He gulped down and winced as the saliva traveled down his dry throat. His eyes trailed from her face down to her waist. It looked so... good. And then he went down to her legs and his mouth began to quiver violently.

' _Those soft looking legs... A little fat... And that slender waist. With organs stuffed inside!'_

Kaneki was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a petrified scream piercing the night sky. He looked over at the source of the noise and his eyes widened considerably. His bestfriend was in front of him, laying on the floor with a maniac look on his face. Hide's pale hands were drilled into the deceased man's chest and after a few carefully tugs, Hide had a large chunk of meat between his fingers. Bloody and...

 **Delicous.**

While all of this happened, Touka stood there with a bewildered look on her face. It was only then that she remembered the two unfortunate teenagers. They had been in the cafe a few weeks agos. But last thing she remembered was that Rize and Fall had tricked and manipulated them, and then the two binge eaters had both been declared dead.

'Shouldn't they be dead? And even if they survived, why are they about to eat human meat?'

After a few moments of being frozen, Touka sighed out of her mouth, before kneeling down and gripping the deceased man's arm. She raised her foot and placed it on the old man's shoulder blade, before tugging hard enough to sever to arm right out of the socket. Blood sprayed out everywhere, a shower of blood coating Kaneki's face and Hide's clothes.

"I don't preferably eat old man meat. It's disgusting." Touka said blankly, turning to look at Kaneki. She had noticed that he hadn't moved to take some of the meat yet. "But your friend just killed this guy and you look pretty hungry. Do you want some?" Touka asked Kaneki, extending the hand out to him.

Blood ran down the side of the arm and onto the fingers, before droplets of the scarlet liquid dropped to the ground at Kaneki's feet. Kaneki licked his lips and the scarlet cracks at the side of his face increased in size and quantity, spreading all the way across his face.

"So do you want some of this or not?" Touka asked Kaneki, putting one of her hands into her pockets comfortably. "If not, I can just take it back to the Cafe..." Touka grumbled, slightly annoyed that the black haired boy wouldn't reply to her.

Kaneki snapped out of his starvation and he began to pant loudly. He looked up at Touka and his eyes widened in shock. This girl... She was a Ghoul this whole time?! His stomach grumbled loudly and he began to quake. He was so _hungry..._ It was unbearable..

The black haired teen turned his head to look at the corpse of the old man. Or more specifically, the strawberry blonde haired boy crouched on top of it and the sprays of blood he could see spraying the brick walls with crimson liquids. Hide... Hide was eating...?

"Hm... Only one of their eyes are red... That's kind of weird..." Touka mused, her mind spiralling through possibilites. She had heard of the One Eyed Owl from rumors and such but it was purely myth that had existed for years now. One Eyed Ghouls were legends that were made to scare both species, she believed.

But she was sure that these two were human just a few weeks ago...

-/=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

After the first gulp, Hide had been transported to a heaven on Earth that consumed everything around him. He couldn't even heard anyone around him, or the erratic chewing and gulping of meat that was vibrating from his throat. This was simply amazing.

Hide's bloody fingers scooped into the man's stomach and they snaked around a very warm and long organ. Hide began to pull it out like a bloody rope.

 _Squelch!_

Hide lifted the intestines of the man up into the air, and felt the spraying of blood dripping from the organs. His mouth opened subconsiously and his tounge extended out of his mouth, and he caught a dropplet of the blood.

 **Perfect!**

Hide's body visibly shook violently, the body underneath his legs tearing apart under the shaking and the weight. Hide's eyes snapped open and the cracks on the side of his face exploded outwards and down his cheek. Pleasure shot through his body in short bursts, and Hide began to breath heavily. He slowly lowered the intestines into his throat, before biting down on the organ, spraying hot blood all over his body.

"Aaahhhhh..."

 _Gulp._

Hide leaned backwards and glared up into the night sky, blood staining his face and hair. This wasn't right... Human's don't eat other humans... But then maybe... Maybe he wasn't human at all... Yes, that was right. No human could eat another human and enjoy it like he just did. Hide's face went blank for a moment and his arms went limp at his side.

"I am... A Ghoul..."

Hide's voice had caused Kaneki to bow his head in defeat. This... Couldn't be right. Why was Hide saying that he was a Ghoul? Kaneki's hands began to tremble and he reached upwards slowly, grasping the bloody arm in Touka's hand. If Hide had to live with the burden of eating a Human, then Kaneki wasn't going to let his friend go into that well of darkness alone.

Kaneki yanked the arm from Touka and opened his mouth considerably, before sinking his teeth into the old man's arm. Blood ran down Kaneki's mouth and down his chin, before Kaneki tore a chunk of meat from the man's arm. Blood spirraled around Kaneki's mouth, caressing his taste buds and then going down his throat.

Pleasure quaked through Kaneki's body and he took a very deep breath through his nose, before his throat loosened and he swallowed the chunk of meat in one gulp. Kaneki's Kakugan flared a bright crimson and he moaned loudly, his face lightening up and a small contrasting frown appearing on his face.

 _Better then any human food I can remember..._

"From what I have observed, and from those eyes.. You two were originally humans and now you're both Ghouls? Hmph..." Touka said blankly, only a wisp on interest in her voice. The bang on her face shifted across her face slightly, revealing her other eye for a split second.

"The closest thing I can have to human food is Coffee... Teach me, former humans... What does cake really taste like?" Touka asked calmly. Both of the former human's attention switched to Touka and stuck with her. "It's so disgusting it makes me want to puke, so I don't really know... But humans seem to eat it like it's good, don't they?" Touka asked rhetorically, a slight anger rising in her voice.

"How was your life not being hunter by anyone? Your days spent not having to live in fear of the Ghoul Investigation Department or other Ghouls gone insane?" Touka asked, her voice flaring with anger. She glare down at them as shadows covered her face. "TELL ME!"

A long impregnated silence ensued...

Scuffle...

Touka's eyes snapped over to her left, and she caught sight of Hide. He was standing up onto his feet, an unreadable look on his face. Dark and ominous shadows clouded his expression. When he was balanced properly, he looked up at Touka and a small, charming smile was etched across his face.

"If you help us understand just exactly what we've turned into, I'm sure I can help you with anything..." Hide declared, a confident look on his face. Kaneki also stood up, a gloomy look on his face. Crimson blood dripped down both of their mouths and down their necks.

"Tsk..."

-..=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.==.=.=.=.=.=.

"Watch your step..."

Hide's face was emotionless as he walked through the lively facility. His blood stained luminescent jacket was now neatly folded and under his arm. All of the lights around him were dimming as they walked. He had remembered this place, and he was sure that Kaneki remembered it too.

 _Anteiku..._

Kaneki's dark eyes were glued to the ceramic floor underneath his feet. A deep frown was present on his face and a deep gurgling in his stomach caused him to quiver on the outside. He had eaten a _human hand_. Just the thought of the incident gave him the overwhelming urge to throw up in his mouth. And now they were in the cafe where it all began.

Touka walked ahead of them both, her footsteps echoing loudly. She had a casual expression on her face, strangely enough for the two teens watching. After such a bizzard event, both of their emotions were scrambled but she seemed just fine. Was this everyday for her?

As they all walked in silence, Hide's eyes fell onto the owner of the extra pair of footsteps. This person was considerably older then all three of them and he was wearing a brown leather jacket that went down to his feet. Although he had his back turned to Hide, he could almost tell he had a smile on his face.

It didn't take long from when Hide saw the old man for him to realize that he was the owner of the Cafe. The same styled haircut and the friendly smile was all too familiar Kaneki had also noticed it instantly, and it only gave him more questions that needed answers.

"Let's give you two packages for now." The old man said slowly. The group stopped and turned to their left, all of them now facing a large stainless steel refrigerator. The manager reached forward and pulled it open, a blast of delicious fragrances pouring out. Along with the smell, the sight of scarlet blood and fleshy parts hanging from racks could be seen.

Kaneki's mouth fell open slightly and his hands trembled slightly. He watched as the man took the flesh out and wrapped them in paper, acting as if it was normal food. This was _far_ from normal. The black haired teen felt the bile slowly rising in his stomach slowly and slowly.

"Come back when you need to. There's no need to be shy." The old man said tentatively, pushing both of the envelopes of meat into the teen's hands. He had a small and refreshing smile etched on his face, causing both of the boys to accept the offer quickly.

Hide looked down at the envelope of meat with tentative eyes. Moving his thumb across the spongy surface, Hide began to drool ever so slightly. A single thought was going through his mind and brain. _Will this be enough?_

Kaneki clutched his meat envelope with both trembling hands. His quaking body showed everyone his current mindset. His logic and bearing were all scrambled around and it left him visually bewildered. His misty eyes would then turn away from the envelope as he shoves it into his pocket.

"My name is Yoshimura." The old man revealed, before he turned his back to the teens. . "If you ever need Anteiku's assistance, just ask." Yoshimura told the two half Ghouls. He began to walk away. disappearing into the shadows of the underground after a few strides.

Touka's bright eyes watched as Yoshimura walked away and into the shadows. She knew that he was either watching them or wondering through the tunnels, as the Cafe was curretly closed. However, she didn't bother with finding out, and she turned her head to look at Hide.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know tomorrow." Touka told him with a glimmer of brightness in her eyes. Hideyoshi nodded and his hands began to twitch on the package of meat. His index finger pressed into it hard and his thumb erratically ran across the surface like a squirming worm about to be devoured by a bird.

Touka looked at Hide's erratic finger movements and then looked over at Kaneki, who had a deep frown etched to his face and green tinted cheeks. _Weird._ Touka turned her back on them both and her bang covered over her right eye instantaneously. _Both of them are weird..._ Touka would then begin to walk off, her foot steps becoming echoes in the deep tunnels.

"Wait, Touka-Chan!"

Startled, Touka swiftly turned around and made eye contact with the strawberry haired blonde, the clash causing him to pause momentarily. His right arm was outstretched and his hand was clenched, as if he was 'grabbing' her. Touka's body was stiff and her eyes were fixated on him. She was ready to pounce at any given moment until...

"Can I have your number?" Hide asked, an expression of seriousness etches onto his face, along with red tinted cheeks and a single sweat rolling down his forehead. When he noticed that his hand was outstretched, Hide grumbled and quickly brought it back to his side, sweating profoundly.

Kaneki looked up at his best friend's attempt at snagging the pretty girl's contact details and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. A warmth spread through his chest and his face brightened considerably. Despite what Kaneki might have thought, just because Hide had devoured a fellow human, he was still the same person underneath.

"I-I mean... It's only for me and Kaneki-Kun to contact you..! That's all!" Hide stumbled nervously as he shakily shoved his meat envelope into his bulged pockets. The startled girl left Hide in a dead silence for a few moments. She hadn't been expecting that question from him _again_. Before she had found it irritating and frustrating but now it was different.

"Um... Next time..." Touka said slowly and unplanned, before turning quickly and dashing into the darkenss. Both teens stood in silence for a few seconds, before Kaneki turned to Hide with a shocked expression.

"Did she just say yes?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I wonder which one is the best..." Hide asked outwardly to no-one in particular. His eyes were concentrated on a certain section of the supermarket. When Touka had hinted that Ghouls could take in Coffee, Kaneki had practically forced his best friend to go out to the shop at night and retrieve some.

"Hideyoshi-San, Blondie Coffee is the best of the instant brand." A familiar voice rang through Hide's ears, causing him to turn around skitishly. Hide's body was as flimsy as paper as he accidently shouldered into a slightly taller teen with messy hazelnut hair. Hide cursed and looked up at the slim young man with confusion, until suddenly it turned into joy.

"Nishio-Senpai!" Hide's voice could only be described as relieved. "I didn't expect you to be here at such a late hour!" Hide would then turn back to the Coffee rack and instantly pick up a few of the Blondie Coffee's. Nishio was wearing an ashy T-Shirt with charcoal outlines, that was covered by a jacket that looked as if it was covered in scales of a reptilian.

"Nor did I... But things happen." Nishio replied in a melodramatic tone of voice. The hazelnut haired boy put one of his hands behind his head loosely and yawned with a bored look on his face. It was obvious that he didn't particularly want to be there at that moment. His dark eyes were extremely clouded and apathetic.

Hide's expressions twisted into a mischievous grin. "I bet you'd prefer to be with Kimi-Chan right now, huh?" Hide chuckled heart-fully, his insides itching with laughter. His headphones made a tiny jingle on his back as he made this movement, almost falling right off of his neck.

Nishio rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from Hide. With a slightly irritated look on his face, Nishio went up to the cash register. "Tsk... That isn't your business." Nishio spat back at Hide, but the blonde teen didn't take it as any offense. Even if Hide was right, Nishio wasn't going to entertain him with those fantasies.

As soon as Nishio finished paying for all of his items, he went straight for the exit without giving Hide a second look. It was evident that his mind was occupied elsewhere. Hide put down several Coffee containers, simultaneously shouting a 'thank you' to Nishio as he scurried to the exit.

"That will be 4840 Yen." The cashier said blandly, his emotions laid out obviously on his clear Caucasian face. It was clear to anyone that he wasn't in the mood for this job, or anything. However, Hide saw something else when he looked at the young man. Instead of seeing a lost man with no real motives in life, Hide only saw one thing...

 _Food._.

 _A chiseled jaw. Skin as fresh as a newborn. Mouth small and compact. Ready to eat... Ready to eat... Ready... Readyyy...EAATTTTT._

"-TOP!" Hide was snapped out of his mental rambling by a minimal, but effective pain impacting the side of his face. From his left eye, he could see was the metallic silver of a frying pan but from his right eye, he could see the same cashier from a few seconds ago, but with a petrified look on his face and the same frying pan in his hand.

Hide would soon notice that he was clutching something _solid_ in his right hand. As his hazy eyes cleared up considerably, Hide realized why the young man reacted so harshly. His expression twisted into shock when his right hand could be noted squeezing down on the cashier's throat, causing him to choke and twitch.

 _Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!_

However, Hide's right hand kept squeezing on the young man's smooth neck, despite Hide's obvious objections. _I can't... I can't control it! What's wrong with me?!_ The man's ashy caucasian skin began to swirl into inhumane blue and purple colors, his complexion similar to a thrashing ocean.

"I suddenly have an interest in you, Hideyoshi-San..."

As if on instinct, Hide pivoted his body to the right. He could almost feel the attack coming, but it was evident that he was too slow. The last thing he noticed before his world fell temporarily into darkness, was how fast Nishio's heel was coming at his face.

 **Chapter 3 will be out soon. 2**


End file.
